A review by variouslilies
Duino Elegies by Rainer Maria Rilke

5.0

This is the first time I read anything by Rilke, and already I know that this rather small set of elegies are among the most passionate, honest and anguished poems I have ever encountered. While I went into reading this book expecting something profoundly religious and mystical, I think the elegies only conform to such descriptions in the very limited sense of 'angels' being present in them. The pain and catharsis bound in stanzas are grounded in human pain, in mortality and existential angst. At times, Rilke's disquietude surpasses words and echoes in reader's body like a tangible, physical pain. It's such a captivating experience that made me impatient to read more of his poetry, while simultaneously lamenting my ignorance of German. I can only imagine how transcendental these elegies are in their original language.